New easier EPO assignment rules

Good news everyone! After many years of the EPO insisting that assignments of European patents have to be hand-signed, in ink (see our earlier article here), the procedures are being brought into the 21st century with a forthcoming rule change. As of 1 April 2024, a new decision of the President sets out that the Office will now accept text string signatures and digital signatures on assignment documents, even if those digital signatures do not conform with the EU's eIDAS standard. This will greatly simplify the process of recording assignments at the Office, as will the simultaneous abolition of the recordal fee when documents are submitted using the online MyEPO service.